Thieds to duncan feeguson and joseph wellens



2 Sheets-Sheet 1,

(No Model.)

' R. WELLENS.

BEER PUMP.

gill! Patented'July 10, 1888.-

WITNESSES.

INVENTOR. @M ma.

N. PETERS. PhbloLilhograpMr, Washington, D. C.

(Nb Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2'.

R. WELLENS.

BEER'PUMP. I No. 385,981. Patented July 10, 1888.

WITNES$ES. INVENTOR.

N. PETERS, Pbolwlilhognpher, Walhington, D. C

' NITED STATES ROBERT \X ELLENS, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR OFTWO- THIRDS TO DUNCAN FERGUSON AND JOSEPH \VELLENS, BOTH OF SAME PLACE.

BEER-PUMP.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 385,981, dated July 10,1888.

Application filed March 19, 1888.

T0 aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, ROBERT WELLENS, of Pittsburg, in the county ofAllegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and usefulImprovementin Beer-Pumps; and I do hereby declare the following to be afull, clear, and exact description thereof.

The object of my invention is to provide an improved pump for forcingair into reservoirs for holding beer or other liquids, so as to supplymeans for discharging the liquid from the reservoir, which pump shall beautomatic in its action and shall keep the air-pressure in the reservoiralways the same.

My improvements consist,principally,in the mechanism, hereinafterdescribed, by which the water employed to drive the pump is preventedfrom entering the chamber containing the compressed air and all dangerof its entering the reservoir with said air obviated; also in devices bywhich the pressure of the compressed air in the reservoir isautomatically regulated, and, generally, in various details of theapparatus, which I will now describe.

The invention is embodied in apparatus which is shown in theaccompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a side view of the pump, oneof the air cylinders or barrels being in central vertical section on theline y e of Fig. 4. Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section on theline y y of Fig. 4, showing the valves and the ports through which thewater enters to drive the pump. Fig. 3 is a vertical cross-section onthe line 00 w of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a plan view of the entire pump. Fig.5 is an enlargedinside plan view of the top of one of the pump-clinders, showing the check-valve. Fig.6 is a vertical diametricalsection of the upper part of the pump-cylinder and the valve. Fig. 7 isa vertical central section of the regulator and regulating-valve and itsconnections. Fig. 8 is a side view of the lower part of Fig. 7, showingthe adit and exit ports of the regulating-valve. Fig. 9, Sheet 2, is avertical cross-scction of the apparatus on the line a u of Fig. 1,showing the connection of the watersupply with the pump and theconnection of Serial No. 267,695. (No model.)

the air-pumping cylinders with the beer-barrel into which the air isforced.

In Fig. 4 the air-pipe 32 is shown extending at an acute angle to theother parts of the apparatus, and in Fig. 9,forobvious purposes ofillustratiomlshow it at right angles thereto. The position of this pipein no wise affects its function and is immaterial.

Like symbols of reference indicate like parts in each.

In the drawings, 2 and 3 are the main pumping-cylinders of the pump. Theinternal construction of each is the same, and is illustrated at thecylinder 2 in Fig. 1.

4 is a piston-head in the cylinder, and 5 isa second piston-head abovethe head 4. They are connected by a rod or stem, 6. The piston-head 4 isthe hydraulic head and is imperforate. The head 5 is the pneumaticpiston, and is provided with holes or ports,which are controlled by aflexible flap valve, 7, mounted on the upper side of the piston-head.This valve is shown in Fig. 1 as being open and uncovering its ports. Atthe top of the cylinder is a check-valve, 8, which opens upwardly inresponse to air-pressure from the cylinder below, and shuts downwardlyin response to back-pressure. The rods 6 are connected by a pivotedlever or walking-beam,9, which is centrally fulcrumed at apoint, 10, andis pivotal] y connected with each rod 6 by a ball-joint, 11. Thiswalking beam passes through vertical slots 12 in the sides of thecylinders. At the bases of the cylinders are passages or ports 13 and 1afor the passage of water to and from the cylinders. The passage 13 leadsfrom the cylinder 2, and the passage 14 from the cylinder 3. Thesepassages extend toward each other and open into a central valve chest orcylinder, 15, through ports a and b. Between these ports is anexhaust-port, 16.

Within the valve-chest 15 is a slide-valve, l8,which has aconnecting-port, 17, adapted to register with the ports a and 16, orwith b and 16, according to the position of the slidevalve. Theslide-valve is set between two pis ton-heads, 19 and 20, which areconected by an intermediate stem or neck, 21. At the ends of thecylinder are passages 22 and 23, which lead to a chamber, 24, in whichis a centrally-pivoted rocking valve, 25, having a notch or passage, 26,wide enough to connect either port 22 or 23 with an exhaustport, 27,according to the position of the valve. The valve is operated by alever, 28, keyed to its projecting stem. At the lower end of the leveris a pin, 29, working in a slot at the lower end of a second lever, 30,which is fixed at its upper end to a rotary spindle or shaft, 10,journaled in suitable bearings and keyed to the walking-beam. The levertherefore 0scillates with the rocking beam. The exhaustport 27 extendsaround to and communicates with the exhaust 16, Fig. 3. At the upperends of the cylinders 2 and 3 pipes 31 lead to a pipe, 32, which extendsto the beer-reser' voir45.

33 is a pressure-gage, which is connected with the pipe 32, and 34 is aregulator- Ch&l1lb61',Wl1lCh is in communication with the pipe 32through a branch, 35. Inside the chamber 34 is a diaphragm, 36, to thebottom of which is attached a vertical valve stem, 37,

i which extends down through a stutling-box,

38, into a chamber, 39, where it controls the adit-port of thewater-supply pipe 40, Fig. 7. A passage, 41, leads from the chamber 39into the cylinder or chamber 15, Figs. 3 and 9, and a'branch passage,42, leads up to the chamber 24.

43 is a coiled spring encircling the stem 37, and bearing at one end onthe diaphragm 36 and at the other end on a nut, 44, by screwing whichthe pressure of the spring on the diaphragm may be regulated.

The operation is as follows: Suppose that the nut 44 is screwed up tosuch a point that it requires, say, ten pounds pressure on the upperside of the diaphragm 36 to force the valve 37 down to its seat againstthe pressure of the spring. The communication of the diaphragm chamberwith the beer reservoir causes the pressure on the latter to beconstantly exerted on the diaphragm, and when that pressure exceeds tenpounds the valve 37 will be held to its seat; but when the pressurefalls below that point the spring will raise the valve and diaphragm, soas to open the water-passage 40. Suppose the parts to be in the positionshown in the drawings. Their action is as follows: The water flows fromthe pipe 40 through chamber 39, pipe 41, and into the cylinder 15, and abranch stream flow ing to the valve-chamber 24 through the passage 42passes through the passage 22 into the valve-cylinder 15, back of thepiston-head 19, and moves the heads 19 and 20 and the interposedslide-valve 18 to the right, so as to uncover the port a and to connectthe ports b and 16, at the same time forcing the water back of thepiston 20 through the passage 23 and into the exhaust 27. The water thenpasses through the pipe 13 into the base of the cylinder 2, and raisesthe piston-- head 4, so as to force air into the reservoir zisesi bymeans of the air-piston 5. The motion of the walking-beam 9 thus causeddepresses the piston-heads 4 and 5 in the other cylinder, 3, causing airto pass through the slot 12 and the valve-ports in the head into theupper part of the cylinder,aml Forcing the water below the piston 4through the pipe 14 and through the connecting-passage 17 into theexhaust16. hen the piston-head 5 in the cylinder 2 reaches the end ofits upstroke, the rotation of the spindle 10 will have (through thelevers 30 and 2S) reversed the valve 25, so as to connect the passage 22with the exhaust 27 and to uncover the passage 23. The branch stream ofwater then flowing through the passage 23 moves the piston-heads 20 and19 and the slide-valve 18 to the left, so as to connect the ports a and16 and to uncover the port I), as shown in Fig. 2. The main stream ofwater then flows through the passage 14, so as to raise the piston-headsin the cylinder 3 and to pump air from it into the reservoir, while thecylinder 2 exhausts water through the pipe 13. In this way the motion ofthe pump is kept up, air being pumped from each cylinder alternatelyuntil the pressure in the reservoir reaches ten pounds, when thediaphragm 36 will be forced downward, so as to seat the valve 37 and tocut off the supply of water. The pump then necessarily stops until thepressure in the reservoir again falls, when it begins to work again.

The pump is entirely automatic in its action, and is so simple in itsconstruction that it will continue to run for a long time withoutattention and without need of repair.

It will be noticed that in each of the cylinders 2 and 3 there are twopiston-heads, 4 and 5, which are connected by a single piston-rod, butare separated by an intervening space. The lower piston-head is thepiston of the hydraulic motive engine, and the upper head forms thepiston of the air-pump, and as both are single-acting it is not possiblefor water to leak past thehydraulic piston-head and to err ter theair-compression chamber, because any water which might so leak past thelower pistonhead would escape harmlessly from the space interveningbetween them. This is one of the distinguishing features of myinvention, and is of great importance, because it affords all thebenefits of adouble-acting pump, and yet altogether removesthe danger,which has been present in prior pumps of this kind, of the water gettingaccess to the beer and spoiling it.

I claim- 1. As an improvement in beer-pnmps, the combination of thehydraulic piston -heads and pneumatic piston heads situate withinsuitable cylinders having intervening vents,so as to prevent waterescaping from the hydraulic piston from passing the pneumatic piston-head, said piston-heads being connected with each other bypistoirrods and a walk ing-beaxn, a water-conduit leading to the cy1-inders back of the hydraulic heads, a valve IIO of water to thecylinders, and an auxiliary valve, "which controls the flow of water tooperatc the main valve, said auxiliary valve be- I 5 ing connected withand operated by the said beam, substantially as and for the purposesspecified.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 13th day of March,A. D. 1888. 20

ROBERT WELLENS.

controlling the water and connected with the walking-beam, a pneumaticconduit leading from the cylinders above the pneumatic piston-heads to abeerreservoir, and a valve arranged to admit air above the pneumaticpiston-heads on the back-stroke ofthe same, substantially as and for thepurposes specified.

2. In a beer-pump, the combination, with the two cylinders, eachcontaining'hydraulic and air piston-heads connected by a rod, of a beamconnecting the rods, a hydraulicallyoperated main valve, which controlsthe flow I Witnesses:

W; B.- CORWIN, THOMAS W. BA EWELL.

